On Saturday night in Guadalajara, Mexico, WBC junior middleweight champion Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez once again registered a commanding victory in stopping brave but outmatched Ryan Rhodes in twelve rounds. The bout was typical Alvarez as he kept his cool and patiently stalked his British foe, picking his openings well and showing enough power and variety in his punches to warrant serious respect.
At 34 years of age, Rhodes was far from a shrinking violet heading into the clash, instead showing himself to be very lively and upbeat upon entering the ring. But the bounce in his step soon disappeared as Alvarez began to find his mark in the early rounds and a suffocating body assault limited the Yorkshire native’s mobility down the stretch.
<--- Slideshow: Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez looks solid, rolls past Ryan Rhodes
The fight was a bit monotonous at times and highlights included a 4th round knockdown by Alvarez as well as the finishing deed in round twelve as a tired Rhodes was simply overwhelmed by a non-stop volley of punches as referee Hector Afu called a halt to the action. With the win the 20-year old Alvarez successfully defends his WBC crown for the first time as a professional but questions about his future linger.
His star appeal is already set, as he is huge down in Mexico while slowly but surely introducing himself to American audiences over the past few years, but just as any other fighter in the sport with a title, he has a slew of dangerous opponents calling him out. Not to say that Alvarez couldn’t perform if asked to step up to the plate but logic says he would be well-served by taking a few more years to season himself against decent opposition as opposed to locking horns with the likes of Vanes Martiroysan and Alfredo Angulo, who was in attendance.
Such are the perils of being a champion. Let’s see how his promoter Golden Boy handles him from here on out. Rumors have it that he could be making a stop to the Vegas area in September, possibly against former champion Ricardo Mayorga.
Chris Robinson is based out of Las Vegas, Nevada. He can be reached at [email protected]
